The California DMV began issuing permits which will allow companies that meet specific requirements to test their driverless cars on public roads without a human behind the wheel.

by Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times
/
April 3, 2018

Shutterstock

(TNS) — SAN FRANCISCO — California began accepting applications Monday for permits to deploy self-driving cars on public roads without a human backup driver at the wheel.

Recent fatal crashes by a self-driving Uber car in Arizona and a Tesla car operating in semiautonomous Autopilot mode in California have put a spotlight on safety, and on Monday the California Department of Motor Vehicles sent out a list of safety requirements that permit applicants must meet.

Among them, vehicles must:

Meet federal motor vehicle standards.

Show results from tests that simulate real-world driving.

Come with a two-way communications link.

Be incapable of being operated autonomously outside the territory or driving conditions stated on the application.

With many educational organizations shifting their entire schedules to distance learning tools or full virtual environments indefinitely, never has the statement “we are all in this together” been more poignant.